Fresh Grad? Here’s How to Give Yourself a Boost Up the Corporate Ladder

Even if you just got out of college, there are ways you can stand out among other candidates to make your hard work pay off.

It may seem really difficult to climb that corporate ladder, especially if you’re still at the beginning of your professional career. However, it really is possible to accelerate past others through your hard work and patience. Here are some tips to help you move up that ladder faster:

Know the product inside and out and show it off. Doing this will help you stand out more —your employers will be impressed with your knowledge of the product. Bring up your knowledge and insights during the interview if you can, or if you’d like, prepare something that will enable you to share what you know with the interview team.

To do this, you must try the product yourself, study the product and learn its strengths and cite some areas for improvement. Your potential employer will appreciate your effort.

Leverage LinkedIn. Maximize the use of your LinkedIn account by connecting with professional contacts. Now that LinkedIn has enhanced their mobile app, you can now glean details about the person who will be conducting the interview. With this tool, you can find out what you have in common, even if you wait until the last minute. This information is helpful, especially if you want to warm up pre-interview. You can also add a few contacts every week and explore the things they share online.

Share your ideas. Don’t hesitate to put your ideas out there — this is one way to show you care about the company. Doing so can impress your potential employer.

Think your idea through so that it will be more reasonable to execute. The fact that you’ve made an effort to show your assertiveness demonstrates how much you care. This will help you get promoted faster and stand out among your colleagues.

Work hard. Entry-level work may lack that challenge you’re looking for, but it’s part of your climb. Once you’ve proven you can handle the easy tasks, you’ll likely be given a project that will help prove what you’re capable of.

Build your reputation. Make connections beyond the walls of your office. You can look for industry networking events, or write a professional blog to share your insights about the industry. Be active on your social media accounts and look for other work opportunities.

These tips should help you climb up the ladder faster. Make sure to enjoy every step until you get to the top.

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 40,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.